Key's album teasers are some of K-Pop's finest, and those for Gasoline started this comeback off with a bang. With visual references to cult classics Re-Animator and Ghostbusters, his appreciation for retro horror and practical effects shined through in the teaser images, album packaging (floppy disk and VHS box, hello?), and in the mood samplers—which were a tasty, tasty ruse to showcase said eclectic tastes...sort of.

Tracklist:

    1. “Gasoline”

    2. “Bound”*

    3. “Villain (feat. Jeno)”*

    4. “Burn”*

    5. “Guilty Pleasure”*

    6. “G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time)”*

    7. “I Can’t Sleep”

    8. “Ain’t Gonna Dance”*

    9. “Another Life”*

    10. “Delight”

    11. “Proud”

*Author’s favorites

TITLE: "GASOLINE"

See these photos? These beautiful portraits? Well, forget about them, because we’re talking about the title track’s music video which isn’t much like them. So, when I say it was a ruse, I mean every teaser up until the actual music video previews had this retro-horror theme going strong—but all that is nowhere to be seen in the music video for title track "Gasoline." With that in mind, Key is a multi-faceted artist, so while he advertised one thing and then doubled back with this Lady Gaga-meets-Dune music video, he's done so with characteristic effervescence.

The music video features Key and his set of dancers in a desert planet setting, and the whole production is on a grand scale. The choreography is just as fast as the song itself and the sets are defined and ornate; these things alone could make for a spectacle, but the man trots out seven—seven—completely different looks that define the very term of haute couture. To say this is a new sense of avant-garde styling in K-Pop would be an understatement, and it comes as no surprise since Key is known for being pretty outspoken in terms of how fashion and his creative vision are closely intertwined. To put it simply, this video is bonkers visually, and only Key could weave fashion and music in a manner so fluid which speaks heavily to his experience as an artist and individual.

Key has a flair for maximalism, this we know, and "Gasoline" hits the mark in sound almost as hard as sight. The song comes in with a dignified brass backbone, and while it's definitely noisier than its synth-pop predecessor—one may even say it errs on the side of boisterous—"Gasoline"'s harsh exterior is cut by his powerful vocals, allowing for a very different experience that's still uniquely Key.

ALBUM: GASOLINE

On the topic of the conceptual ruse, this is a good time to recall that the aforementioned video teasers were mood samplers—as in “sampling the mood of the album itself,” and the rest of the album picks that up quite well. With 11 tracks in total, Gasoline is more like an 11-course meal; and without giving too much away, this album has much of what I enjoyed about BAD LOVE.

Plucky basslines, dreamy keyboards, big synth action—and, dear reader, if one album bangs as hard as BAD LOVE, I don’t dare hope that the next will be as good let alone wholly improve upon it. It’s an impossible feat, for anyone honestly, to make a 10/10 album? And then make another one? Impossible! But Key ain’t just anybody.

“Gasoline” Title Score: 9/10

Music Video Score: 10/10

Gasoline Album Score: 10/10

TOTAL SCORE: 9.6/10

Edited by Rashelle B.